INTRODUCTION
Taking Essex to the next Level
In Essex, both outcomes have been experienced, sometimes within the same community.
The policy is designed to address the longstanding problem of the UK’s regional economic disparities and tip the scales to redress the balance of some towns and cities being left behind while others prosper.
In Essex, the loosely connected series of national Levelling Up policies and sources of funding now exist alongside the possibility of devolution, an agenda that is shaping the future of other parts of the country, and currently led by Greater Manchester and the West Midlands.
Talks between the government and three principle local authorities, Essex County Council, Southend and Thurrock councils to create a Greater Essex with its own elected Mayor have attracted a great deal of interest.
A devolution deal would create a new Greater Essex Combined Authority, with representation from all three top tier councils in a super-region that has a population of 1.9 million people and an economic output of £47bn.
Morgan Sindall Construction gathered a group of key stakeholders from across Essex at Highlands House, outside Chelmsford, to allow them to share their experiences of Levelling Up so far, and what they consider the priority issues.
During the discussion, three key findings emerged:
The challenge of funding | Levelling up funding is piecemeal, it is expensive to bid and the timescales are tight. Is the expectation to high on authorities and is the communication of funding and its allocation transparent enough so that valuable time, resources and tax payers money is not wasted?
A golden three | Housing, infrastructure and skills need to be prioritised – how does Essex cope with its housing growth, and the associated infrastructure development. Public-private partnerships could be key here and getting the private sector involved early to help consult. The skills shortage is apparent both in public and private sector so how can we work together to meet that challenge? Better educational engagement and selling the pathways are vital in attracting, but then its up to the individual organisations to strategize how they retain – the next generation are not always looking for that ‘job for life’ they are looking for experiences and purpose instead.
Regional approach and identity | The challenge to overcome is the understandable competition for funding – the county suffers from having six urban centres of similar size, which is very different to other counties, and this contributes to the competition and where funding allocations provided – is there a more joined up approach to be had in the county, in terms of delivery and also its brand and identity – Essex delivers and it has some incredibly unique and powerful USP’s - how can Essex build this into a brand and punch its weight.
Click to watch the 90 second overview film of the event
